No additional details were provided, and the family statement requested privacy.

Stan Lee co-created numerous Marvel Comics superheroes including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.

The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported Joan Lee’s death, recounted the couple’s first meeting in a story last year. It said Lee met his future wife while trying to meet another woman for a date in New York.

The 94-year-old Lee has credited his wife with supporting him early in his career.